Preview of Lord of Arcana

Square Enix is taking a page out of Capcom's book with their own monster hunting title for the PSP. Lord of Arcana is an action RPG that features similar gameplay elements to the Monster Hunter series, character modification, and online co-op.

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A Brutal Action RPG - Lord of Arcana Preview

It seems Square Enix is interested in taking a page out of Capcom’s book. The company known primarily for the Final Fantasy games is now looking to create their own monster hunting title. Lord of Arcana is described as a brutal action RPG where players must slay anything that gets in their way to garner the title of Lord of Arcana. You can play the game’s single-player campaign or unite with up to three other friends to take down ferocious monsters. Not too much is known about Lord of Arcana at this point, so let’s take a look at what we do know.

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Become the Lord of Arcana

The game takes place in Horodyn, a land of gargantuan beasts and lore. You play as an amnesiac who must collect magical stones in order to regain his lost memories and become the ruler of the land. The story certainly isn’t anything deep from the sound of it, but it may evolve into something more complex as the game nears its North American launch. If Monster Hunter has been any indication, though, these types of games don’t necessarily need much of a deep plot to be successful. So depending on what Square Enix is going for, Lord of Arcana may or may not have a gripping storyline.

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Monster Hunter Much?

You can alter your character’s appearance as you see fit whenever you like. Hair, facial features, skin color, and primary weapon options are the basic things to expect, but as you progress, you can continue changing your character’s appearance, armor, and weapons. You can equip one of five types of weapons. Depending on your play style or the situation at hand, you can choose from swords, axes, lances, maces, or bows.

The missions in Lord of Arcana are timed between 30 and 60 minutes, and many have multiple objectives. Sometimes you must collect items; other times you just have to seek out a monster and kill it. Like in Monster Hunter, you collect anything from the lifeless bodies of the monsters you slay to upgrade your own weapons and armor. For the most part, you can defeat enemies by performing combos and successfully completing quick time events. In addition to your weapons, you can also cast spells to keep the ferocious beasts in check.

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Lord of Arcana Preview - Monster Brutality on the PSP

It goes without saying that Lord of Arcana for the PSP was obviously inspired by Capcom’s wildly popular Monster Hunter franchise. The game was released in Japan in October, and Square Enix is currently working on the North American version. Keep an eye on this title, as it is expected to launch in Western regions in early 2011.